Flick of Barça expresses frustration over hamstring injuries to Koundé and Balde
An “unhappy” Hansi Flick indicated he will consult with the medical team at Barcelona following hamstring injuries sustained by Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde during the match against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.
Both full-backs were unable to complete the Copa del Rey semifinal as Barça secured a 3-0 victory but were eliminated from the tournament 4-3 on aggregate.
Balde is expected to be sidelined for a month, as confirmed by Barça on Wednesday, while club sources indicated that Koundé is also unlikely to return before the international break in March, thus excluding both players from the forthcoming Champions League match against Newcastle United.
In the past week, Barça has now seen three players suffer hamstring injuries, with Frenkie de Jong also ruled out until April.
“We have two more injuries, I am not pleased, it’s not good,” Barça coach Flick stated to TV3.
“With Frenkie, it’s now three in a week, all with the same type of injuries. This cannot occur. We need to address this.
“We must discuss it with the medical staff and the fitness coaches to prevent losing three players to injury in a week.”
Alongside the round-of-16 clash against Newcastle, the trio will also miss upcoming LaLiga matches against Athletic Club, Sevilla, and Rayo Vallecano prior to the international break.
This situation leaves Barça with only two available full-backs, João Cancelo and Gerard Martín, although Eric García, Ronald Araújo, and Marc Casadó have previously played at right-back.
Gavi, Robert Lewandowski, and Andreas Christensen are also part of an expanding injury list. Gavi has recently returned to training after a five-month absence, Lewandowski is dealing with a fractured eye socket, and Christensen has no set return date as of yet.
Koundé and Balde both incurred their hamstring injuries as Barça came painfully close to achieving an unlikely comeback against Atlético at Spotify Camp Nou.
Marc Bernal scored twice and Raphinha converted a penalty to secure a 3-0 win, but it was insufficient to overturn last month’s 4-0 defeat in Madrid.
They now shift their focus to LaLiga, where they maintain a four-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the standings, as well as the Champions League.
Flick’s team will travel to St James’ Park next Tuesday for the first leg of the round-of-16 tie, with the return match set for Camp Nou a week later on March 18.
